Confusing Words Clarified: Group M; Homonyms, Homophones, Homographs, Synonyms, etc. +(lists of "M" sections that are organized into what for some people are confusing groups of words)If you have any problems understanding the pronunciation symbols, go to this Pronunciation Chart for clarifications.meal, zeal
meal (MEEL)
1. Food eaten to satisfy one's hunger: "We had a nutritious and delicious meal."
2. The milled or ground seeds of certain grass plants: "We took the wheat to the mill to be ground into meal." zeal (ZEEL)
Eager, enthusiastic pursuit of something: "He had a special zeal for studying butterflies."
mean, mien
mean (MEEN)
1. Humble, possibly shabby: "Her mean accommodations were small and clean."
2. Repellent, selfish, petty: "His mean arrogance resulted in his brother leaving without saying a word." 3. To have a purpose or an intention: "I mean to go to New York City sometime." 4. Middle position, half way between extremes: "I noticed that I was in the mean position in the line up to buy tickets for the movie." mien (MEEN)
Bearing, appearance, aspect, or manner; especially, as it reveals an inner state of mind: "Her outward mien was calm and focused."
meat, meet, mete
meat (MEET)
The flesh of an animal used as food which often refers specifically to the flesh of mammals or birds instead of the flesh of fish: "The soup can be made with meat, chicken, or fish."
meet (MEET)
1. To see and to speak to someone for the first time: "We wanted to meet each other in the linguistics class at our university."
2. To come together in order to talk about or to discuss something: "We want to meet downtown tomorrow to talk about a better way to sell our products." mete (MEET)
To give something to the people who are considered worthy of receiving it: "They are trying to be fair as they decide to mete out punishments for crooked politicians."
They deserved to have the restaurant mete out a lunch where the meat would meet the taste buds of the eaters. In Germany, a van used by a small business for preparing meals for parties, etc. has the words Meating Point painted on its sides. medal, meddle
medal (MED'l)
A piece of metal similar to a coin which is issued to commemorate special events: "She won a gold medal in the swimming competition."
meddle (MED'l)
To interfere, to get involved in something that is not one's personal concern: "Please do not meddle in this discussion."
mediate, meditate, medicate
mediate (MEE dee ayt")
To intervene between two or more disputants in order to bring about an agreement, a settlement, or a compromise: "He has been appointed by the government to mediate in the dispute between the auto company and the striking workers."
2. To settle or to reconcile differences between people: "Negotiations are going on to mediate a cease-fire between the two belligerents." meditate (MED i tayt")
1. To think or to mentally reflect; especially, in a calm and deliberate manner; to contemplate: "My friend will make time every day to meditate for an hour each morning."
2. To engage in devotional contemplation, especially prayer: "He wants to meditate about the importance of God in his life." medicate (MED i kayt")
1. To treat with medicine: "His doctor tried to medicate patient with the latest pharmaceutical drugs."
2. To tincture or to permeate with a medicinal substance: "The doctor wants to medicate her patient with a different medication because he apparently has developed a strange allergy to the other drug." My doctor tried to mediate my concerns about whether I should medicate my illness with the new drugs by suggesting that I meditate some more and consider what the consequences would be if I don't take the medicine he has recommended. medication, meditation, mediation
medication (med" i KAY shuhn)
The act or process of treating with medicine; the administration of medicine: "She's taking medication for high blood pressure."
meditation (med" i TAY shuhn)
The act or process of spending time in quiet thought: "Daily meditation helps clear his mind of negative thoughts."
mediation (mee" dee AY shuhn)
An attempt to bring about a peaceful settlement or compromise between disputants through the objective intervention of a neutral party: "The dispute between the landlord and the tenant was settled by mediation."
Daily meditation, in some cases, may help certain people avoid the need for medication. medium, media, median
medium (MEE dee uhm)
1. Occupying the middle position relative to others: "He was of medium height compared to the other players on the team."
2. A substance by which something is conveyed: "The metal in electricity cables is a medium for conveying electricity." 3. An individual through whom messages are passed to and from the dead to those living and the other way, too: "My aunt was believed by many to be a medium through whom they could pass messages to their dead loved ones." 4. A liquid used by painters in which color pigmentation is mixed: "Some artists use egg yolk as the medium for their painting." media (MEE dee uh)
The plural form of medium, often with reference to advertisement or news dissemination: "The news media covered the politician's speech and legislative experiences."
median (MEE dee uhn)
1. Characterized by being in the middle position: "The median on the highway was planted with flowers."
2. Having a value that is in the middle of a series of values arranged from the smallest to the largest: "What is the median price of homes in this area?" meliorative, pejorative
meliorative (MEEL yuhr uh tiv; MEE lee uh ray" tiv; MEEL yuh ray" tiv)
That which is made more tolerable; something that has been softened: "Instead of returning a pejorative from a colleague, she chose to be more meliorative and it resulted in a more desirable conclusion to their discussion."
pejorative (pi JOR uh tiv)
Tending to make worse; derisive, derisory, demeaning, disparaging, derogatory; uncomplimentary: "When she used the pejorative you're an idiot with the young man, and although he was tempted to send stronger pejoratives back to her, much to his credit, he resisted the temptation."
If people are incapable of being meliorative with their bosses and choose to tell their employers that their ideas are "stupid", such actions would no doubt be considered pejorative and the result would very likely be "unemployment" for them. mewl, mule
mewl (MYOOL)
A weak cry or whimper: "I could hear the mewl of the kitten before I could find it."
mule (MYOOL)
1. A mammal which is the result of the cross breeding a horse and a donkey: "The mule was harnessed to the wagon so the farmer could take his crops to the market."
2. A slipper typically without a back piece around the heel: "The missing mule with the fluffy fur around it was found under the bed." 3. A person whose personality can be considered stubborn: "When his mind is made up, he is as stubborn as a mule." 4. A machine used in the manufacture of yarn that pulls and twists the fibre simultaneously: "My summer job was in the yarn factory, specifically monitoring the function of the mule." A donkey whimper is also known as a mule mewl. mews, muse
mews (MYOOZ)
1. A common gull of European origin: "The flock of mews circled over the fishing boats hoping for a handout."
2. The sound made by a gull or a cat: "I could hear the mews of the kittens before I could see them." 3. Primarily British: Stables for animals in an enclosed space which are frequently converted into attractive housing: "I was so lucky that I was able to find housing in the local mews which used to belong to the estate of the gentry." 4. A back alley or lane: "I walked down the mews to the mews where my horse was stabled." muse (MYOOZ)
1. To day dream or to reflect upon something: "I will muse upon the suggestion while I have my morning coffee."
2. A source of inspiration: "My mother was the muse for my interest in music." 3. One of several goddesses in Greek mythology responsible for arts and sciences: "Did the Muse of Poetry play a lyre when she was singing?" might, mite
might (MIGHT)
1. Power, authority, or bodily strength: "The mayor could use the might of his office to approve the budget for the parade."
"The might of the bull was such that he could pull the laden wagon with ease." 2. Used to express probability or permission: "The supervisor might report the malfunctioning machine to the head office."3. Considered an alternative expression for should, could, and may: "You might consider making a different choice." mite (MIGHT)
1. Any of a number of very small spider-like creatures (arachnids), than may invade or infest foods, plants, or animals and may be disease carrying: "That mite bite on my foot itches a lot."
2. Something very small; such as, a coin: "I carry a mite coin in my pocket for good luck." 3. To a small degree, somewhat, or slightly: "The box could stand to be a mite bigger." "This is a mite embarrassing, but I need to tell you somethiing." The might of the mite should not be under estimated. milch, zilch
milch (MILCH)
1. Giving milk: "The family had just one milch cow so they could get genuine fresh milk every day."
2. Giving milk or bred primarily for milk production: "Milch goats and milch camels are just a couple of additional milk producers besides cows." zilch (ZILCH)
1. Zero; nothing: "I know zilch about the subject."
2. Amounting to nothing; nil: "She has done zilch to help me with this project." militate, mitigate
militate (MIL uh tayt")
To have an influence; especially, a negative one, on something; such as, to make something unlikely to happen or to prevent something from happening: "His inexperience will militate against his getting an early promotion."
2. To have weight or an effect, to serve as a strong influence: "His youthful appearance can only militate against his getting into a high position in the company; at least for now." mitigate (MIT uh gayt")
1. To make an offense or crime less serious or more excusable: "The lawyer tried to mitigate the circumstances so the punishment or penalty would be reduced, because evidence was produced that encouraged and enabled the judge to be less severe."
2. To make something less harsh, severe, or violent; to moderate in force or intensity: "There's no way to mitigate the effect of that unfavorable report." These two often-confused words have different, mutually exclusive meanings and they function in different ways. Militate does not take a noun object, but is followed by a preposition, often "against", plus a noun. It means "to have an influence, especially a negative one, on something": "Trade sanctions militate [not mitigate] against international cooperation." Mitigate needs a noun object and means "to lessen the impact or degree of seriousness of something undesirable"; for example, "A six-month suspended sentence unfairly mitigates the seriousness of a vehicular homicide. There were mitigating circumstances beyond his control." millenary, millinery
millenary (MIL uh ner" ee, muh LEN uh ree)
1. Of or relating to a thousand, especially to a thousand years; millenarian: "There were celebrations planned for the new millenary."
2. Of or relating to the doctrine of the millennium; millenarian or millenarians: "He was considered an expert on the millenary." millinery (MIL uh ner" ee)
Articles, especially women's hats, sold by someone who deals with such produts: "In this millinery shop, we can buy fabulous hats that are one of a kind designs."
mince, mints
mince (MINS)
1. Finely chopped bits of food or to chop one's food finely: "Because my throat is sore and it is difficult to swallow, I must mince all my food for the next few days."
"The mixed fruit mince makes a lovely pie." 2. To speak or to walk in a prim and fastidious manner: "When the children were playing make-believe, they liked to mince their words to sound like grownups.""Because of the ice, I had to mince my way across the street to avoid falling." mints (MINS)
1. Plants of the Labiatae plant family which have flavourful leaves used for flavoring and cooking: "We have several different mints growing in our garden."
2. Candies or confections flavored with mint: "We have chocolate mints for an after dinner treat." 3. Locations where money or medals are coined: "There are two mints located in our city; unfortunately they do not give away free samples." 4. The manufacture of money or medals: "The mint in the city mints about 200 different coins each day."
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